Sustainable Fuel Made Out of Air and Water

by Antonio Pasolini on December 10, 2012

Photo: Air Fuel Synthesis

It sounds like magic but it’s actually based on sound science. A British start-up called Air Fuel Synthesis is developing a technology to make gasoline using renewable energy to capture carbon dioxide and water from the air. It then electrolyzes the water to make hydrogen and reacts the carbon dioxide and hydrogen together to make hydrocarbon fuels.

The researchers say their gasoline does not contain harmful elements such as sulfur (like fossil fuel gasoline does). It will be a while before this new technology becomes a commercial reality, though. Currently the company’s business and strategy is focused on developing a five-liter-per-day demonstration unit at Wilton (UK) and developing a business plan which will help the company implement its concept worldwide.

Photo: Air Fuel Synthesis

One of the advantages of the system is that all of its components already exist either as demonstration models or are available off the shelf, although the company is also talking to many technology developers about opportunities to create intellectual property rights (IPR) and know-how.

It will be great to see how far this type of alternative energy can go. The world needs as many ideas as possible to work its way out of the impending fuel crisis.